Exercise Bike – Yes or No?

People who know me will be aware that I spend a reasonable amount of time at the gym, but sometimes, like anyone, I just don’t have time to get out of the house and dedicate a couple of hours to working out. That’s why I’ve been debating the idea of getting an exercise bike for some time now – it would complement the time I spend in the gym while giving me all of the convenience of working out at home.

When I mentioned this to my readers, they suggested all kinds of different makes and models that they thought that I should try, but one was recommended more than any other – the Peloton. If I’m honest, I’d never heard of it, so I did a bit of research.

The Peloton is similar to an indoor Spin bike made from aluminum and carbon steel together with a front weighted flywheel to determine your resistance level. It’s pretty heavy, weighing 135 lbs, and it definitely isn’t something you could move or assemble yourself – you have to rely on the home delivery service.

This exercise bike certainly doesn’t come cheap at a squeak under $2000, and that’s before you consider any add-ons such as the compatible cycling shoes with their special cleats and a floor mat to protect your flooring. Another cost to factor in is the monthly fee if you want the on demand live Peloton classes – and really that’s the whole appeal of this bike. The videos are streamed via a 22” touch screen fixed onto the bike itself. All the content is 1080p HD which looks great, but the speakers aren’t so good as they aren’t really directed at the rider.

For added convenience, you can use the Peloton iOS app to stream the videos on an iPad or iPhone and this means you can use a different exercise bike while following along, however you won’t get the same experience – as it won’t be connected to your bike you won’t be able to see your cycling metrics.

There are as many as 14 live classes each day, as well as more than 5000 on-demand classes. You can choose from different lengths, styles, intensities, instructors and even music, and on the lower part of the screen’s display you’ll see all of your vitals stats such as resistance, exertion level, output and heart rate. If you’re using the live stream, you can also compete against the other participants.

There’s no doubt about the convenience of the Peloton. Without ever having to get in the car and drive to the gym, I could simply hop out of bed, jump on my bike and join in with a class that fits in with my available time. Another appealing element is the different instructors you can choose from. Their personalities make a big difference, and making it much more fun to work out at home. While you might be bored using any old stationary exercise bike, the interactive element makes the Peloton a lot more interesting to use meaning that it’s less likely to end up in the garage gathering dust.

The integrated Blutooth heart rate straps mean you can check your heart rate as you cycle and as it connects to apps such as Fitbit you can share your progress while the microphone and camera built into the tablet allow members to video chat with each other.

After all my research, I have to admit I’m pretty impressed by the concept of the Peloton, but with its super high price tag, I think I might give it a miss – I could almost buy a car for that price, although at least the Peloton doesn’t need fuel injector cleaners to run!